"A TOWERING FIGURE… PARSONS ACHIEVED SOMETHING LIKE IMMORTAL STATUS AS A MAN OF THOUGHT": SCARCE FIRST EDITION OF TALCOTT PARSONS' FIRST AND MOST SEMINAL WORK—"THE FOUNDATION FOR EVERYTHING HE SUBSEQUENTLY WROTE"

PARSONS, Talcott. The Structure of Social Action. New York and London: McGraw-Hill, 1937. Octavo, original gilt-lettered black cloth.

First edition of the first book by pioneering Harvard sociologist Talcott Parsons, widely viewed as "his most influential book, and one that made his reputation… a classic in sociological theory. Here Parsons makes his initial attempt at abstracting from the work of four European social theorists—Marshall, Pareto, Durkheim and Weber—a single conceptual scheme that would, for all time, serve as sociological theory itself” (Trevino).

"A towering figure in the social sciences… Parsons achieved something like immortal status as a man of thought.” At Harvard Parsons sought to “reformulate the ideas of Weber and Durkheim (the 'fathers' of sociology) and, to a lesser extent, those of Freud and Alfred Marshall (the codifier of neoclassical economics) into a comprehensive theory of human activity… Parsons once wrote that he wanted to replace the Marxian dichotomy between capitalism and socialism… [with] a logical type of social relationship broad enough to embrace any society” (New York Times). Parsons was early influenced by Joseph Schumpeter, who read Structure of Social Action in manuscript form (Gerhardt, Talcott Parsons, 7n), and by "Frank Taussig, who emphasized for him the importance of classical economic theory… In 1937, just shy of his 35th birthday, Parsons published what is perhaps his most influential book, and one that made his reputation, Structure of Social Action… regarded as a classic in sociological theory. Here Parsons makes his initial attempt at abstracting from the work of four European social theorists—Marshall, Pareto, Durkheim and Weber—a single conceptual scheme that would, for all time, serve as sociological theory itself. Structure was also the first book to introduce Durkheim, Weber and Pareto for serious and detailed consideration to English-speaking sociologists… The conceptual methodology that Parsons laid out in Structure was the foundation for everything that he subsequently wrote” (Trevino, Talcott Parsons Today, xiii-xxv). Sills, 609-630.

A fine copy.